Part 14

Names of By what Nature of When payable. By whom. By whom Time of Donors. Instrument Property, or directed to be distribution. created, and Amount. distributed, Date. and in what manner. Owen Morgan Will, 31 March £20 per Annum. 25 March Haberdashers’ Parson and 1604 Co., London. Churchwardens of the Parish of Oswestry, for the relief of the poor Hugh Yale Will, 2nd Jan. Several Rts. payable at Tenants Bailiffs and 1st January. 1605 messuages and different times Overseers, lands in amongst the Oswestry, poor of the producing at town and 6s. present £13, of 8d. for a Welsh thereabouts Sermon John Morris, & Deed, 24th Ju. £1 10s. per On Feast day of J. W. Eyton. Trustees to be Wife 1629 annum, on lands Philip & James appointed by in Crickheath & All-Souls the Burgesses, to be distributed in bread, and for other purposes Richard Deed, 23rd Dr. A field in 25 March R. Brayne, Bailiff 52s. Wycherley 1624 Beatrice St. tenant per annum. for let for £7 pr. bread and the annum remainder to set out an Apprentice Dorothy Santley Deed, 18th Ch. £2 12s. per 25 March Roberts, Church-wardens, Every Sunday. I., 1643 annum issuing Ruthin, Rt. Bailiffs’ and out of a field Roberts tenant Vicar, in called Cae bread, to the Bychan poor of the town William Gough Will, 1669 £5 6d. 8d. 25 Decbr. Rd. Hunt, Esq. £2 10s. by the issuing out of Overseers of lands in the Parish, and Treflach the like sum by the Overseers of the town, for the Poor, and 6s. 8d. to the Ministers for a Sermon on St. Stephen’s Day A butt of land Church-wardens in Beatrice and Overseers St., for which {124} 5s. pr. anm. was pd. Muckleston 5s. per annum 25 March Reps. of David In bread, but Allen issuing out of Oliver not stated by houses in whom to be Cross-Street distributed Winifred Will, 20th Ju. £2 10s. issuing 25 March Sir W. W. Wynn Vicar and Matthews 1709 out of a field, Churchwardens in Trefonen, to put out an called Maes y apprentice, Benglog from Oswestry, and the townships of Trefonen, Treflach, Sweeney, and Treferclawdd, alternately Mary Lloyd Will. June 5th £100 secured on Dec. 30th Trustees Vicar, Christmas. 1727 Willow-Street Church-wardens, Gate & Road and Overseers, in putting out an apprentice, and in woollen clothing for the poor of the town each alternate year — Peacock — 1732. £5 secured with Dec. 30th Ditto To be Christmas. the above distributed amongst poor house-keepers of the town Thomas Turner Will, 1777 £20 secured on March 25 Trustees The Christmas. Llangedwin Church-wardens Turnpike Road Richard Will, 20th Jan. £2 per annum March 25 Rev. Jn. Lloyd The Bailiff, Good Friday. Muckleston 1638 issuing out of Brunant Vicar, & estates in Church-wardens, Carmarthenshire in bread, to the poor of the Township of Oswestry Francis Shore Will, 13 Aug. £1 per annum This has Feast of St. 1691 issuing out of hitherto been Thomas. houses in Ch. distributed by Street, Mr. D. Jones, belonging to who claims to Mr. David Jones do so, as the lineal descendant of the surviving Trustee of the Testator Margaret Lloyd Will, 2nd May £1 issuing out Jany. 1st Thomas Allen Mayor and New Year’s Day. 1794 of her house, Church-wardens, forge, yard, & amongst 20 poor dwelling-house labourers or in Oswestry decayed aforesaid, with tradesmen one croft of land thereunto belonging, devised to Richd. Pryce, Mercer Elizabeth Will, 1703. £2 per annum Plm Mon Reps. of James Church-wardens, Palm Monday Williams. issuing out of Vaughan to the poor, in Mixon Hall, and 6d. or 1s. to croft each Rebecca Lloyd Will, 10th Jan. £1 per annum 25 Decbr. Rv. J. Thomas Vicar, amongst Christmas 1733 issuing out of the poor house in Cross-Street Sir William Will, Sep. 7th, £200 21 Decbr. Sir W. W. Wynn Vicar, At such time as Williams 1734 Church-wardens, they shall and Trustees, please amongst such poor persons of the Parish as they shall think fit Elizabeth Will Croft at Croxon & Co. The tenant of Williams Croes-Wylan, Penylan has occupied with hitherto Penylan, for distributed which £1 10s. this sum yearly has hitherto in clothing for been paid the poor — Pierce Will A field called Marg. Oliver She distributes Cae Mark, in 10s. upon the Parish of All-Saints’ Llanyblodwel, Day, at Sweeney occupied by Mountain, to Margt. Oliver; poor persons of consists now of Sweeney and a house and Weston, in buildings, and money; and also several small another 10s. in closes bread James Phillips Will, 24th Ap. In 1833, £522 Mayor & Church-wardens, Feast of St. 1661 7s. 10d., Corporation of in flannel Simon and St. which, after Shrewsbury Jude certain deductions, left £186 8s. 8d. to be distributed between the Parishes of St. Chad, Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Ellesmere, and Whitchurch Lady Eure Will Porkington Alms Reps. of Mrs. Money to be houses, and Jane Owen distribtd. at 18s. per annum Christmas to poor people occupying them, since incrsd. to £3 Margaret Deed, 2nd Mar Messuage in If not occupied Godolphin 1748 Cross St. by the Vicar, exchanged in then to be let 1823 for one in and the rents Brook St. for distributed by the use of the the _Country_ Vicar, if Wardens in actually placing out resident in the children in the same _Parish_ whose Parents’ names are not in the Poor’s Books Sir Nathaniel Will, 1740 Interest of Christmas & Trustees, or Nomination in Christmas and Lloyd Stock, at Midsummer person the Reps. of Midsummer 12 present authorized by Sir N. Lloyd, & poor persons of producing £97 them the Bishop of Oswestry, & 8 19s. 8d. per St. Asaph, of Whittington annum alternately — Thomas Will £2 12s. Every Su. in Owner of the Ditto St. Thos. Day annually, out bread Aston property of lands in — — Jeffreys ⅓ of an estate Church-wardens St. Thos. Day, at Osbaston, of lower 4s. out of which 3rd now division of every 10, to produces £4 0s. parish the poor in 8d. per annum Morton; 3s. in Maesbury and 3s. in Crickheath. *** Swinnerton’s Charity is lost.

LIST OF CHARITIES FOR THE USE OF THE CHURCHWARDENS, CONSISTING OF SUCH ONLY AS ARE PAID TO AND DISTRIBUTED BY THEM.

CHARITIES RELATING TO THE TOWN ONLY.

Yale’s; Morris’s; Witcherley’s; Sontley’s; Donor unknown, (Owen?) Land in Beatrice Street; Muckleston Allen’s; Lloyd and Peacock’s; Muckleston’s (Poor of Oswestry); Margaret Lloyd’s; Elizabeth Williams’s (Mixon Hall); Rebecca Lloyd’s (Freeman).

CHARITIES RELATING JOINTLY TO THE TOWN AND PARISH.

Morgan’s; Gough’s; Winifred Matthews’s; Turner’s; Sir William Williams’s.

CHARITIES RELATING TO THE PARISH ONLY.

Elizabeth Williams’s (Croft at Croes-Wylan); Jeffreys’s.

THE SOCIETY FOR BETTERING THE CONDITION OF THE POOR,

Within the Hundred of Oswestry, was established in or about the year 1812, by the late Rev. C. A. A. Lloyd, Rector of Whittington, and the late Rev. G. N. K. Lloyd, Rector of Selattyn. The objects of the Society at its original institution were—the encouragement of schools for the education of the lower classes; the increase of the comforts of the poor in their dwellings, by the improvement of cottages; the distribution of moral and religious books and tracts; the encouragement and promotion of friendly societies; the establishment of a bank for the poor, paying interest for small sums; and, finally, the distribution of rewards among the poor for extraordinary acts of industry.

During the progress of the Society very much has been done in the neighbourhood, through its instrumentality, with regard to the above objects. Several schools were established soon after its commencement, and a vast number of moral and religious publications have been given as prizes, from time to time, to the best-informed children, and also as rewards for proficiency in writing, drawing, sewing, &c. With respect to the improvement of cottages, the Society issued several small publications some years ago, directing the attention of owners of property to this very important social amelioration; some plans were also engraved, and rules printed, relative to the building of habitations for the poor. Through the influence of this institution some Friendly Societies were established, and also (which is well worthy of notice) a Savings’ Bank for the poor, about four years _before_ the present excellent institution commenced operations in conformity with an Act of Parliament passed on the subject. As soon as the Government Savings’ Bank was opened, the funds of the former were transferred to it.

Subjoined are specimens of some of the prizes which were offered by the Society during the year 1854:—

No. 2.—To the Labouring Cottager who shall be found to occupy the best-furnished, neatest, and cleanest Cottage, together with the best-cultivated Garden, the same being not less than a quarter of an acre in extent:

£. s. d. First Prize 1 10 0 Second ditto 1 0 0 Third ditto 0 10 0

No. 5.—To the most deserving Widow, who under the greatest difficulties has supported herself by her own unassisted exertions:

£. s. d. First Prize 1 0 0 Second ditto 0 15 0 Third ditto 0 10 0

No. 8.—To the Cottager, or Farming Servant, who shall have accumulated most money in the Savings’ Bank, the same to have arisen entirely from his or her own earnings:

£. s. d. First Prize 2 0 0 Second ditto 1 0 0

No recipients of parish relief are allowed to become candidates for any of the prizes.